On the weekends, Main Street is once again bustling with Choate students as they return to their favorite restaurants — among them are Mr. D’s, Archie Moore’s, and Half Moon Cafe. After a year of being prohibited from venturing into Wallingford, boarding students are now allowed to explore the town as an extension of the Choate campus again.
The town of Wallingford gives students the ability to feel integrated into a community beyond the School. Sixth former Charlotte Weinstein ’22 reflected on her newfound freedom and the isolation she felt within the constraints of the campus last year. “It’s nice being able to actually feel like you’re a part of the town of Wallingford and not just like you’re in the middle of nowhere,” she said.
Walking into town and seeing new surroundings also gives students a sense of normalcy. Fourth-former Delaney Ellsworth ’24 added on, “a change of scenery has allowed us to have more of a normal life and be able to do stuff that we would normally do if we were living at home.”
Though off-campus privileges have increased significantly since last year, Choate students are not allowed to ride in Ubers and use any other ride-sharing platforms to minimize the possibility of Covid-19 transmissions and to ensure student safety. In the rare instance that students may need to use a ride-sharing platform, they must receive permission from their dean and Medical Director Dr. Miriam Cohen. Silas Streeter ’25 said, “I think it can be a little difficult, but it’s cool that we have access to town, which also has a lot of resources.” Ellsworth said that the policy is a little strange since Uber is a “one-on-one environment where the driver’s wearing a mask and you’re wearing a mask, and there’s less people.”
As in previous years, Choate offers a shuttle service for students to go to shops, stores, and restaurants every Sunday. However, Ava Lee ’23 said that the shuttles are too infrequent, since they are only offered for a few hours in the afternoon. As the school year progresses, it’s possible that Choate students may be given more privileges.
Returning students who were new last year and could not leave campus are looking forward to using more of these new off-campus privileges. Yoyo Zhang ’24 said, “I’m excited to explore more of Wallingford, and to see what wonderful things the town has to offer.”
